XZero771679666304

He hit a HR and posed like was Manny Ramirez or something. He strutted halfway to first base like he was on a catwalk or something. I have to admit it was actually kind of funny in a sad sort of way. He'll need another 2 or 3 seasons like this one before he can begin to get away with that crap.

I just don't understand how that makes it any better. It's not better. But I hate it when I hear fans talk about certain players. You hear people just rail Bonds. I have a couple Cub fan friends who act like McGwire was the only roider in the game, and he tought everything he knew to Pujols. It doesn't make it right. But don't crucify one player just because you haven't heard about the rest of them. It's not like murder, or dogfighting even - it's cheating at sports. I have no misconceptions about this thing. Nearly everyone was using PED's. And personally I hate Bonds because he is a paranoid, narcissistic, racist SOB.

I don't really agree with this, the Cubs defense is far superior, I don't think the pitching is really better. Sheets >= Zambrano (unless Z turns things around in a hurry at least) Gallardo = Hill Villaneuva very well could = Lilly Bush >= Marquis Suppan >= Trachsel The Cubs ERA will be better because of fielding but I don't think the actual pitching is much better. Cordero, Turnbow, Shouse, Linebrink match up decently with the top end of the Cubs bullpen too. A lot of that Brewer ERA was built by Capuano and Vargas who have been upgraded at this point. Marshall > Bush Marquis >= Soupcan Marshall is getting a break, and has not been replaced. And then there's Guzman. And don't even try with the bullpen. Not even close. The fact that Melvin has spent much of the past couple months trying in vain to fix that mess says enough.

Mantle.

He hit a HR and posed like was Manny Ramirez or something.

Braun and Fielder are great talents. Hardy and Hart are good but not as good as their 2007 numbers. Hall is an average player who had one good year. Gallardo will be very good, not so sure about Parra. All of the Brewers outfielders range from average to mediocre, with no top tier talent on the way soon. Their pen is terrible. the only talented pitchers in it are Turnbow and Cordero, but Marmol >>>>>>> Turnbow and Cordero = Dempster. Other than that the Cubs pen is much better. Sheets is great but injury prone (you can't deny it anymore). Zambrano is great but insane and inconsistent. Z = Sheets. Gallardo will be very good, but the rest of the rotation sucks. Cubs have Hill, Lilly, Marshall and Guzman. No contest here. Lets compare some of the talent: Braun edges Ramirez offensively, but Aramis owns Braun defensively. Fielder his for more power than Lee, but again, Lee owns Prince defensively, and on the basepaths. Lee is older though, and it will start to show. Prince won't improve on his weaknesses until he drops some pounds. I am not the least bit convinced that Hardy is anything more than a .270/.325/.430 player with mediocre defense, but he is better than anything the Cubs have at SS. Weeks is not going to be the star people thought he was a couple years ago. I don't see him being any better than DeRosa/Patterson. 2006 Hall was a mirage. The reality is a RH Jacque Jones. The Brewers team defense is awful (particularly on the infield), with no change in sight. The Cubs team defense is good (particularly on the infield), and looks to get better with Pie in CF. Kendall is a liability, but Soto isn't and he looks legit. Overall, it looks like a push, maybe a slight edge to the Cubs because of the balance of talent. The Brewers talent is really concentrated, and mostly offensive. The pitching talent will suffer because of the horrid defense. The Cubs talent is spread around more, but older. A lot depends on how Pie and Soto pan out.

The offense is going to break out in this one.

He hasnt had a day off besides a team day off since in over a month. I think hes gassed and needs a rest. You're probably right.

I think Jacques hot spell is quite over.

With Ward on third? I don't think so.

You can't be overrated if everyone already agrees that you are overrrated. Don't tell Ned Colletti. Or Jim Hendry.

Like most things, the reality is probably somewhere in between.

Jeter's WARP numbers have been impressive though, yeah? I remember FJM citing them as 2nd or 3rd best in the AL the year Hafner should have won the MVP His defense is vastly overrated though, as he ranges anywhere from below average to terrible in the field. Helluva hitter though. I'll throw my hat in the ring and say: Ichiro, by far. Actually, Ichiro's VORP has usually been close to top tier, IIRC.

Burger joints in the greater Milwaukee area rejoice! Fielder and King on the same team? Hello, profit boost!

*Groans* Pretty much what I figured. Don't look for the Cubs to do anything this offseason. 2008 is going to be a crappy year. Not necessarily. It will be a lot like this year because most of the roster is locked up. We might not be much better, but fortunately the division shouldn't be a lot better either. Well, that sucks, but: Z has had a down year Hill has been inconsistent ARam's power numbers are down Lee's power numbers are way down Sori's power numbers are way down Floyd's power numbers have been way down Normally healthy Sori has been injured Lee seems to still be recovering from his wrist injury Assuming nearly the same roster next year, how many of these relatively anomalous things are likely to repeat themselves? A few perhaps, but not all of them. I'm not ready to write off 2008 because of this news, if only because the above and that the division will still stink.

I know. And his first few seasons were awesome. 6 out of his first 7 seasons, he OPS'd over 1.000, once at 1.216. People heap praise on Pujols, but Thomas actually had a better start to his career than Albert has. And look his 1994: .353/.487/.729 (!!)

There's a difference in having great stuff and harnessing or maximizing that great stuff. His control isn't that great. That factors in to determining how great a pitchers 'stuff' is. That's debatable. I look a stuff and command differently. Stuff + command = effectiveness.

Absolutely. Part of Carlos' problem is that he gets behind in the count so often that he is forced to come in with a predictable pitch or walk the guy, neither of which produces a desirable result. This was also a problem Kerry Wood struggled with, though his stuff was better than Z's, so it has less of an impact (save the high PC's that contributed to his injuries). The effectiveness of a pitcher's stuff is almost totally contingent on their command of it. And IMO, part of command is pitch selection relative to situation. Mark Prior is a good example. His stuff was good, but not so much as Z's or Wood's. But he was more effective when he was healthy because he had such fine command. A pitcher with average stuff and fine command will have far better results than a pitcher with stellar stuff and zero command. This is what really frustrates me about recent seasons. As good as Z has been, he really could have been better. All of our pitchers could have been better if they simply had better command, or were coached properly on their command.

It's been pretty obvious that Guillen is at least his equal, and a cursory look at the numbers tells you Carlos is better.

Peavy's a perfect example. And like Z in 2007, his peripherals in 2006 were all pretty much in line with his career norms, save for a couple.

Predictable, and appropriate.

Ok a very bad year for my standards on Carlos Zambrano. Maybe standards that don't allow a pitcher (even an ace) to have a bad year are unrealistic? True, but his numbers have been declining for three years now. Well, yes and no. His ERA has gotten higher each year, but his k/9 and BAA had been getting better, and his OBP and SLG had been about the same (prior to this year). His k/bb ratio has been declining, which obviously has an overall negative effect, as well as his gb/fb ratio. Personally, I think his problem is that he is simply trying too hard to strike guys out and getting away from what has made him successful, which is throwing his hard sinking stuff in the zone and inducing grounders. This has resulted in more walks and more fly balls. To tell you the truth, Z's troubles along with the fact that most other Cubs pitchers seem to have a real problem with control/nibbling that dates back several years makes me seriously wonder about the efficacy of Rothschild's coaching. I had been hoping that much of this was a result of Dusty's overruling him, but I am starting to wonder what, if anything, Larry is teaching these guys. If it was just a handful of pitchers it would be one thing, but this problem seems almost institutional at this point.

Don't worry, Z will find it again and everyone will be praising him. That includes me. He may not be pitching like an ace, but he is the only one we have.

Just because Z was abysmal we should ignore other mistakes? I like Murton, but he has been pretty poor in the field. And Hill was no hero either, but that was yesterday.

Well, for all this dumbassery the Cubs will be no worse off than they were coming into today, at least.